Unexplained phenomena, artificial light, and the relationship of painting to social change are subjects that are central in my work. I often approach a painting as if it were a performance in a dysfunctional theatrical play. As if producing for a film set, I try to build up moments by choreographing values of light and dark, by creating tensions, and by reconfiguring what looks familiar to appear new or strange.
I see my canvases as stage-like spaces where I can manipulate my own sublime, and weave cryptic narratives for viewers to decode.
My source material comes from personal experiences, as well as ideas and images from newspapers, Game shows on television, and overheard conversations. I am drawn to dual and alternate realities—such as mysterious relationships that form in nature, or the deepest fears that dwell behind everyday life. I clip images from my experiences and the media, and strip them of their stories, allowing me to draw from disparate sources and destabilize absolute meaning in my paintings.
—Sharona Eliassaf, 2016
Buddy of Work 